The Ministry of Health has dismissed as false a report aired by South Africa’s public broadcaster, SABC, which incorrectly claimed that Ghana had recorded thousands of Ebola cases and hundreds of deaths. The ministry described the report as misleading and urged the public to disregard the false information, stressing that Ghana has not recorded any confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease.
Health officials clarified that recent inspections of points of entry, laboratories and treatment facilities by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh were part of routine preparedness measures and not a response to an Ebola outbreak. The ministry also called on the public to rely only on verified information from the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to avoid spreading misinformation.
SABC has since removed the erroneous news ticker from its broadcast but has yet to explain how the false information was aired or whether it will issue a formal apology. Meanwhile, Ghana remains on heightened surveillance as part of its routine preparedness against viral haemorrhagic diseases, with health authorities emphasizing that misinformation can undermine public confidence and create unnecessary panic.